Gurugram, Oct 25 Thailand golfer Pornanong Phatlum lifted the Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy for the fourth time after overcoming a spirited fight from India’s Vani Kapoor here on Sunday.
The seasoned LPGA player’s wins at the DLF Golf and Country Club in 2008, 2009 and 2012 had come at the adjoining Arnold Palmer Course, and Pornanong completed the sequence by conquering the Gary Player Course with a four-day score of 11-under 277.
After posting rounds of 72, 71, 69, Pornanong left the best for the last by carding a flawless bogey-free 7-under 65 under pressure.
Barring the start to the final day, when Asian Games gold medallist Pranavi Urs seemed to mount a charge, it was mainly a two-player contest between Pornanong and Vani, who finished at 7-under 281 (73, 69, 69, 70).
In a bid to protect a sore wrist, defending champion Shannon Tan at 4-under 284 (68, 77, 67, 72) played far below her potential and finished sole third. She was followed by Czechia’s Sara Kouskova at 3-under 285 (69, 72, 73, 71) along with Pranavi (70, 70, 73, 72) at T-4.
There were three Indians in the top-10 on the leaderboard with Tvesa Malik finishing Tied-7th at 1-under 287 with scores of 71, 73, 71, 72.
Vani registered her best result on the Ladies European Tour (LET) with her sole second finish. Going into the final day with a slender one-shot lead, it could well have been a breakthrough win on the LET for Vani.
She got off to a whirlwind start with four birdies in five holes, but missing the short birdie putt on the 9th appeared to upset her rhythm.
Pornanong ticked a few boxes herself after arriving in India as one of the invitees this week.
The demands of competing on the LPGA had prevented her from returning to India after 2012, but it is only appropriate that this week has come at a time when the 36-year-old is rediscovering herself on the LPGA Tour.
“India is like home, and I feel I can settle down here. My fourth win here is the most special as I didn’t think I was going to win again. It seems like a dream,” Pornanong said.
The road back hasn’t been easy, and Pornanong even contemplated retirement at the start of the year, but that thought has been put to rest.
Vani fought through disappointment to accept the result handed out by her smiling vanquisher, Pornanong.
“I gave it my 100 per cent, and everything went to plan. I don’t think I could have done anything more. I made a lot of birdies, especially considering the amount of pressure there was.
“I don’t think I would have made so many birdies in a single round before. I made a couple of mistakes too, but that’s part of the game. It’s better to accept it,” Vani said.
The reference was to the stark difference between her two nines – the first dotted with birdies and the other with dropped shots.
“It’s all about timing. There were some in-between shots where there was extra pressure. You don’t have exactly the yardage you want, and you have to think about where you can miss the ball. Those are stressful shots, so there was a little mistake there,” said Vani.
Despite the stomach bug, Pranavi fancied her chances, and the end to Sunday with the back-to-back bogeys was an apt sum-up of her up-and-down game.
“It’s definitely not the result I wanted. I wanted to win. Especially with the way I’ve been playing, I thought I would have a chance. The biggest obstacle was my stomach. I wasn’t feeling my best, but I’m proud of how I conducted myself throughout the week,” said Pranavi.
(PTI News)
